This site reviews some frequently used literary terms.
Terms you should know:
Elements of Fiction Antagonist: the main character opposing protagonist; “bad guy” Character: portrayal of the individual Dynamic character: undergoes change in beliefs/philosophies Flat character:fulfills one role; only see one facet of Round character:fulfills many roles; multifaceted Static character:unchanging Stock character: basic; equational Character Motivation:catalyst; reason for acting Climax:turning point of story Conflict:struggle between opposing forces Denouement: falling action; resolution of conflict Exposition: introduction/ establishes all info. necessary to understand conflict Falling action: resolution of conflict Foil: a mirror character that contrasts or compares another character In medias res: “in the middle”; starting a story in the midst of all the action Incident: an occurrence or event Narrative voice: the speaker Point of view: the position of the speaker First person point of view: narrator is involved (I, my, we) Objective point of view:speaker is detached Omniscient point of view: all-knowing; all-seeing Limited point of view: restricted view Third person point of view: narrator is not involved Unlimited point of view: unrestricted view Protagonist: the main character/hero; “the good guy” Rising action: the events leading to the climax Subplot: a lower, less significant plot coinciding with the main plot
Elements of Drama Act: the main division of a play Aside: character speaks to audience or in undertone to self Catastrophe: the tragic resolution of the conflict Catharsis: the release of emotion felt by audience Comedy: a drama containing humor, has a happy ending Comic relief: the interlude used to relieve tension and contrast tragedy Crisis: the point when tension is highest and the resolution imminent Deus ex machina: “god of the machine”; an unanticipated intervener who resolves a conflict Epilogue: a summary of events or resolution at the end Farce: a comedy of absurd happenings or situations Hamartia: an error in judgment which may arise from ignorance Hubris: the defect in the Greek tragic hero that leads him to ignore the warnings of the gods; arrogance Monologue: a long speech made by one character Prologue: introductions to play, usually includes conflict Scene: subdivision of play, division of Act Soliloquy: character on stage, alone, speaking to self Tragedy: the disaster that comes to those who represent flaws that are universal in a lesser form Tragic flaw: the flaw we all possess in a lesser form that causes the downfall of the hero
Elements of Style Anecdote: a brief account of or a story about an individual or incident Atmosphere: the mood and feeling that appeals to extra-sensory as well as sensory perception evokes Colloquial: everyday, common, plain, relaxed Connotation: implied feeling or meaning Denotation: literal meaning Dialect: language or manner of speaking specific to one person or area/region Dialogue: spoken words between characters Diction: word choice; vocabulary Epigram: a short, witty statement in verse or prose which may be complimentary, satiric, or aphoristic Flashback: any scene inserted to describe an event that happened at an earlier time Imagery: use of language to represent objects, actions, feelings, thoughts, ideas Invective: speech/writing which is denunciatory, abusive, or vituperative Inversion: the turning of an argument against an opponent; reversal of normal word order of a sentence Pun: play on words Sarcasm: harsh or bitter derision or irony; sneering or cutting remark Satire: use of ridicule in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice Slang: the common, informal, non-standard speech Stream-of-consciousness: depicts the flow of inner thoughts and feelings Tone: the reflection of a writer’s attitude, manner, mood, and moral outlook Voice: the speaker of a written work
Figures of Speech Allusion: indirect reference Apostrophe: addresses a thing, place, abstract quality, idea, or dead/absent person as if present and capable of understanding Conceit: figurative metaphor, simile, hyperbole, or oxymoron intended to surprise with wit Euphemism: substitution of a mild or pleasant expression for a harsher one Hyperbole: exaggeration for emphasis Litotes: understatement for emphasis Metaphor: comparison of two unlike things in order to further illustrate, explain, or emphasize Metonymy: the term for one thing can be applied to another to which it is closely associated (e.g. reading Shakespeare) Onomatopoeia: formation and use of words to imitate sounds Personification: ascribing human characteristics to a non-human object or being Simile: comparison using like or as Synecdoche: a part stands for the whole, thus something else is understood within the statement, e.g. Give us this day our daily bread-bread means meals Synesthesia: mixing the experience of the senses Symbol: an inanimate object represents a difficult concept, belief, or feeling
Form Allegory: a story with a double meaning (surface and secondary) Essay: short literary composition usually analytical or interpretative Fable: short narrative which points a moral Genre: classifications; categories Novel: extended piece of prose fiction Novella: expanded short story restricted to a single event or conflict with suspense, unexpected turning point and surprise conclusion Parable: short simple story that points a moral Prose: direct form of language in ordinary usage Verse: metrical writing
Poetry Sound Alliteration: consonants/stressed syllables are repeated Assonance: repetition of similar vowel sounds Cacophony: harsh sounds Consonance: close repetition of consonant sounds before and after different vowels (slip-slop) Dissonance: the arrangement of harsh sounds for a particular effect Rhyme: End Rhyme: words at end Feminine Rhyme: two syllables correspond; the second is stressed Internal Rhyme: words within line Masculine Rhyme: single syllable correspond
Meter Blank verse: unrhymed 5 stress lines Cadence: the melodic pattern preceding the end of a sentence Caesura: a break or pause End-stopped line: sense and meter coincide in a pause at end of line Free verse: no regular meter or line length Iamb: metrical foot of unstressed syllable followed by stressed Meter: pattern of stressed or unstressed syllables in verse
Form/Structure Controlling image: the image repeated throughout the poem, giving it structure Couplet: two successive rhyming lines Dirge: a song of lament Elegy: a poem of mourning or lament Lyric: a song, usually short, expressing the feeling of a single speaker Octave: group of 8 lines Pentameter: 5 foot line Quatrain: stanza of 4 lines rhymed or unrhymed Refrain: phrase/line repeated at intervals during a poem Repetition: unifying element in all poetry Sestet: last 6 lines of the Italian sonnet Sonnet: 14 lines Italian: octave develops one thought, turns, sestet grows/completes thought Stanza: a group of lines of verse
Terms you should know:
Elements of Fiction
Antagonist: the main character opposing protagonist; “bad guy”
Character: portrayal of the individual
Dynamic character: undergoes change in beliefs/philosophies
Flat character: fulfills one role; only see one facet of
Round character: fulfills many roles; multifaceted
Static character: unchanging
Stock character: basic; equational
Character Motivation: catalyst; reason for acting
Climax: turning point of story
Conflict: struggle between opposing forces
Denouement: falling action; resolution of conflict
Exposition: introduction/ establishes all info. necessary to understand conflict
Falling action: resolution of conflict
Foil: a mirror character that contrasts or compares another character
In medias res: “in the middle”; starting a story in the midst of all the action
Incident: an occurrence or event
Narrative voice: the speaker
Point of view: the position of the speaker
First person point of view: narrator is involved (I, my, we)
Objective point of view: speaker is detached
Omniscient point of view: all-knowing; all-seeing
Limited point of view: restricted view
Third person point of view: narrator is not involved
Unlimited point of view: unrestricted view
Protagonist: the main character/hero; “the good guy”
Rising action: the events leading to the climax
Subplot: a lower, less significant plot coinciding with the main plot
Elements of Drama
Act: the main division of a play
Aside: character speaks to audience or in undertone to self
Catastrophe: the tragic resolution of the conflict
Catharsis: the release of emotion felt by audience
Comedy: a drama containing humor, has a happy ending
Comic relief: the interlude used to relieve tension and contrast tragedy
Crisis: the point when tension is highest and the resolution imminent
Deus ex machina: “god of the machine”; an unanticipated intervener who resolves a conflict
Epilogue: a summary of events or resolution at the end
Farce: a comedy of absurd happenings or situations
Hamartia: an error in judgment which may arise from ignorance
Hubris: the defect in the Greek tragic hero that leads him to ignore the warnings of the gods; arrogance
Monologue: a long speech made by one character
Prologue: introductions to play, usually includes conflict
Scene: subdivision of play, division of Act
Soliloquy: character on stage, alone, speaking to self
Tragedy: the disaster that comes to those who represent flaws that are universal in a lesser form
Tragic flaw: the flaw we all possess in a lesser form that causes the downfall of the hero
Elements of Style
Anecdote: a brief account of or a story about an individual or incident
Atmosphere: the mood and feeling that appeals to extra-sensory as well as sensory perception evokes
Colloquial: everyday, common, plain, relaxed
Connotation: implied feeling or meaning
Denotation: literal meaning
Dialect: language or manner of speaking specific to one person or area/region
Dialogue: spoken words between characters
Diction: word choice; vocabulary
Epigram: a short, witty statement in verse or prose which may be complimentary, satiric, or aphoristic
Flashback: any scene inserted to describe an event that happened at an earlier time
Imagery: use of language to represent objects, actions, feelings, thoughts, ideas
Invective: speech/writing which is denunciatory, abusive, or vituperative
Inversion: the turning of an argument against an opponent; reversal of normal word order of a sentence
Pun: play on words
Sarcasm: harsh or bitter derision or irony; sneering or cutting remark
Satire: use of ridicule in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice
Slang: the common, informal, non-standard speech
Stream-of-consciousness: depicts the flow of inner thoughts and feelings
Tone: the reflection of a writer’s attitude, manner, mood, and moral outlook
Voice: the speaker of a written work
Figures of Speech
Allusion: indirect reference
Apostrophe: addresses a thing, place, abstract quality, idea, or dead/absent person as if present and capable of understanding
Conceit: figurative metaphor, simile, hyperbole, or oxymoron intended to surprise with wit
Euphemism: substitution of a mild or pleasant expression for a harsher one
Hyperbole: exaggeration for emphasis
Litotes: understatement for emphasis
Metaphor: comparison of two unlike things in order to further illustrate, explain, or emphasize
Metonymy: the term for one thing can be applied to another to which it is closely associated (e.g. reading Shakespeare)
Onomatopoeia: formation and use of words to imitate sounds
Personification: ascribing human characteristics to a non-human object or being
Simile: comparison using like or as
Synecdoche: a part stands for the whole, thus something else is understood within the statement, e.g. Give us this day our daily bread-bread means meals
Synesthesia: mixing the experience of the senses
Symbol: an inanimate object represents a difficult concept, belief, or feeling
Form
Allegory: a story with a double meaning (surface and secondary)
Essay: short literary composition usually analytical or interpretative
Fable: short narrative which points a moral
Genre: classifications; categories
Novel: extended piece of prose fiction
Novella: expanded short story restricted to a single event or conflict with suspense, unexpected turning point and surprise conclusion
Parable: short simple story that points a moral
Prose: direct form of language in ordinary usage
Verse: metrical writing
Poetry
Sound
Alliteration: consonants/stressed syllables are repeated
Assonance: repetition of similar vowel sounds
Cacophony: harsh sounds
Consonance: close repetition of consonant sounds before and after different vowels (slip-slop)
Dissonance: the arrangement of harsh sounds for a particular effect
Rhyme:
End Rhyme: words at end
Feminine Rhyme: two syllables correspond; the second is stressed
Internal Rhyme: words within line
Masculine Rhyme: single syllable correspond
Meter
Blank verse: unrhymed 5 stress lines
Cadence: the melodic pattern preceding the end of a sentence
Caesura: a break or pause
End-stopped line: sense and meter coincide in a pause at end of line
Free verse: no regular meter or line length
Iamb: metrical foot of unstressed syllable followed by stressed
Meter: pattern of stressed or unstressed syllables in verse
Form/Structure
Controlling image: the image repeated throughout the poem, giving it structure
Couplet: two successive rhyming lines
Dirge: a song of lament
Elegy: a poem of mourning or lament
Lyric: a song, usually short, expressing the feeling of a single speaker
Octave: group of 8 lines
Pentameter: 5 foot line
Quatrain: stanza of 4 lines rhymed or unrhymed
Refrain: phrase/line repeated at intervals during a poem
Repetition: unifying element in all poetry
Sestet: last 6 lines of the Italian sonnet
Sonnet: 14 lines
Italian: octave develops one thought, turns, sestet grows/completes thought
Stanza: a group of lines of verse